Heading to a concert at the U.S. Pavilion? You just might pass another (free) concert along the way.

The primary goal of 2-2-1 Press is to grow Spokane’s music scene, and they continue to find different avenues to do so with the Riverfront Sessions.

The local media, music distribution and event-production company often works closely with Luis Mota, who runs TPG Radio and also works with AEG Presents, which brings concerts to the U.S. Pavilion in Riverfront Park. This year, they wanted to “activate” Riverfront Park and bring as much life to the area before the concerts from larger touring artists.

Local artists have begun to perform in the park as Pavilion attendees arrive to watch bigger, nationally touring acts. Further help from Resurrection Records as well as Visit Spokane led to these performances taking place at their visitor center, outdoors and right next to the Rotary Fountain.

“The idea was that it gives the people going to the concert a little bit of entertainment prior to arriving or while they’re getting in line,” said Brett Noble, one of the owners and founders of 2-2-1 Press. “And then on the other hand, it also provides local bands with an opportunity to put themselves in front of people both from Spokane and the surrounding region.”

Once the general guidelines were established, local artists were paired with those performing at the Pavilion based off sound and genre. In late July, punk rocker Hayes Noble played before Death Cab for Cutie, while singer-songwriter Bailey Allen Baker brought Americana before Sam Barber, and Jumbotron rocked prior to Rainbow Kitten Surprise earlier this month. Dairybaby will perform before Lord Huron on Oct. 19.

Noble also drums for his son Hayes, who acted as a “guinea pig” of sorts as the first performer of the Riverfront Sessions. After being on a national tour for over a month, they returned with their DIY punk sound to a crowd initially consisting of friends and learned a few quick lessons in the meantime.

“When there’s a little crowd, you know a few people standing around, and an electric band, people are going to be willing to stop because they’re like, ‘What’s going on?’” Noble said. “The idea is that a few people kind of get things started and then a crowd forms, that’s what we were going for and that’s exactly what occurred.”

Noble views the Riverfront Sessions as the perfect opportunity to showcase the local scene he is so involved in. With such a wide variety and large amount of people going downtown to see their favorite artists, local musicians end up performing in front of masses that have little to no idea what Spokane’s music scene offers, despite often being right under their nose.

It also used to be common for local bands to open for a nationally touring band rolling through Spokane on tour, as it was in many areas across the country. This dynamic has changed heavily over the years (especially due to the COVID-19 pandemic), giving even less opportunities for locals to discover the music right in their own backyard.

“The refrain that we hear the most is, ‘We didn’t know this was going on, we didn’t know anything about these bands,’” Noble said, adding, “So this was an opportunity to get local bands in front of a crowd that is at least adjacent, that is into similar music, and let them hear what’s going on.”